1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatus for, and a method of, making a glove in situ on a human hand.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many applications where a hand-forming elastic glove is desirable. For example, surgeons and medical attendants require such gloves to freely move their fingers when wearing the gloves while retaining tactile sensation through the gloves. The elasticity of the gloves enables better fit, and the flexibility provides a better feel and secure gripping of tools, workpieces and the like.
Gloves are typically woven, knit, molded or otherwise made at a manufacturer's facility, and then packed and shipped to a user who dons the gloves prior to using them for their intended purpose. This is not altogether satisfactory, since different users have differently sized hands. Gloves would have to be made in a correspondingly large number of sizes to properly fit the hands of all intended users. As a practical matter, gloves are not made, ordered or stocked in multiple sizes and, even if they were, there is such a wide variety in the lengths, sizes and spacings of the individual fingers for different users that, at best, the fit for a particular user represents a compromise. To a certain extent, the fit problem is alleviated by using elastic or rubber gloves which stretch to conform to the dimensions of a particular person's hand. However, even so, the elastic material stretches to a different extent at different portions of the gloves and weakens the gloves at those stretched portions.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,516 to form a strong, tough, adherent bandage in situ on a wound by separately or simultaneously spraying a water-insoluble polymer and a plasticizer or solvent therefor over the wound. When the spray-on mixture sets, a 10-mil bandage is formed over the wound.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,313,807 to form finger coatings by immersing one's fingertips in a colloidal solution of latex, and then by withdrawing one's fingers from the solution and allowing the solution to solidify.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,161 to produce seamless cosmetic gloves employed as coverings for prosthetic hands or as coverings for hand injuries which have resulted in disfigurement of a natural hand.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,169 to form a cast in situ on a living body from a sheet of polymerized foam plastic.
It is further known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,228 to form adherent films, such as collagen, on animal tissue.